Single Idea 3488

[catalogued under 15. Nature of Minds / B. Features of Minds / 2. Unconscious Mind]

Full Idea

Freud thinks that our unconscious mental states exist as occurrent intrinsic intentional states even when unconscious. Their ontology is that of the mental, even when they are unconscious.

Gist of Idea

Freud treats the unconscious as intentional and hence mental

Source

report of Sigmund Freud (works [1900]) by John Searle - The Rediscovery of the Mind Ch. 7.V

Book Reference

Searle,John R.: 'The Rediscovery of the Mind' [MIT 1999], p.168


A Reaction

Searle states this view in order to attack it. Whether such states are labelled as 'mental' seems uninteresting. Whether unconscious states can be intentional is crucial, and modern scientific understanding of the brain strongly suggest they can.